R4D Cameroon

Gender, climate change and REDD+ in the Congo Basin forests of Central Africa

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:40 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Peach Brown, H.C. Gender, climate change and REDD+ in the Congo Basin forests of Central Africa. International Forestry Review (2011) 13 (2) 163-176. [DOI: 10.1505/146554811797406651]

Summary: The Congo Basin region of Central Africa contains the second largest contiguous tropical rainforest in the world, which is an important source of livelihood for millions of people. It is also important for climate change adaptation, as well as mitigation policies on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). Men and women relate to and use the forest differently and so may experience the effects of climate change and REDD+ policies differently. Investigations through semi-structured interviews and document reviews in three countries of the region revealed that women have had limited participation in discussions on issues of climate change or REDD+. There is some evidence that gender consideration will become part of future national REDD+ strategies. Strategies to foster the effective participation of all stakeholders are essential to ensure that gender dimensions are addressed in issues of climate change, forest access, forest management and distribution of carbon benefits.

Institutional Perceptions of Opportunities and Challenges of REDD+ in the Congo Basin

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:25 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Peach Brown, H.C.; Smit, B.; Sonwa, D.J.; Somorin, O.A.; Nkem, J. Institutional Perceptions of Opportunities and Challenges of REDD+ in the Congo Basin. Journal of Environment and Development (2011) 20 (4) 381-404. [DOI: 10.1177/1070496511426480]

Summary: Tropical forests have a central role to play in a new mechanism designed to mitigate climate change, known as REDD+ (Reduced Emissions From Deforestation and Forest Degradation). Through semistructured interviews and content analysis of relevant documents, the perceptions of the opportunities and challenges of REDD+ of institutions, who may be directly implicated in or affected by its implementation are investigated. Research takes place in three Central African countries, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Democratic Republic of Congo, which contain the Congo Basin forest. Perception of opportunities include economic development and poverty reduction, biodiversity conservation, network building, and governance reform. Challenges identified include REDD+’s complexity, lack of technical capacity for implementation, opportunities for participation, benefit sharing, and the traditional system of shifting cultivation. Those involved in designing REDD+ internationally need to understand developing-country perspectives, and institutions at all levels need to work together to develop concrete strategies to improve overall outcomes.

Factors affecting HIV concordancy in married couples in four African cities

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:20 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Freeman, E. E.; Glynn, J. R.

Production Year: 2004

Citation: Freeman, E. E.; Glynn, J. R. Factors affecting HIV concordancy in married couples in four African cities. AIDS (2004) 18 (12) 1715-1721.

Summary: Objective: To determine risk factors for HIV transmission within married couples in four urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: Data from a cross-sectional population-based study were used. Representative random samples approximating 1000 men and 1000 women in each of four cities of Kisumu (Kenya), Ndola (Zambia), Cotonou (Benin), and Yaoundé (Cameroon), were interviewed and tested for sexually transmitted infections (STI). Married couples were identified as concordant negative, discordant, or concordant positive for each STI. After excluding concordant HIV negative couples, analysis of behavioural and STI risk factors for HIV positive concordancy was undertaken across the four cities and in each city separately where sample size allowed.

Results: Among 221 couples in which at least one member was HIV positive, we found that the only significant risk factor for positive HIV concordancy was herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) status. After adjusting for age and city of residence the odds ratio for HIV concordancy compared to couples with neither spouse HSV-2 positive was 3.4 (95% confidence interval, 0.62-18.4) for couples with one partner HSV-2 positive and 8.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.6-45.0) for couples with both partners HSV-2 positive. The same trends were seen in Kisumu and Ndola when they were analysed separately (numbers were small in the other cities).

Conclusions: Although cross-sectional studies are not ideal for delineating the sequence of transmission events, this study adds to the evidence that HSV-2 is a key risk factor in promoting HIV transmission.

Economic Crisis and Forest Cover Change in Cameroon: The Roles of Migration, Crop Diversification, and Gender Division of Labor

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:10 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Sunderlin, W.D.; Pokam, J.

Production Year: 2002

Citation: Sunderlin, W.D.; Pokam, J. Economic Crisis and Forest Cover Change in Cameroon: The Roles of Migration, Crop Diversification, and Gender Division of Labor. Economic Development and Cultural Change (2002) 50 (3) 581-606. [DOI: 10.1086/342358]

Summary: This article attempts to explain how changes in population dynamics and smallholder agriculture have led to increased deforestation in the period of the crisis in Cameroon. These foci are justified by the fact that population growth and shifting cultivation are generally viewed, respectively, as the main cause and agent of deforestation in Central Africa in general and in Cameroon in particular. Other factors contributing to deforestation and forest degradation in Cameroon are logging and the construction of transportation infrastructure.

Forest encounters: synergy among agents of forest change in Southern Cameroon

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:01 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Brown, K.; Ekoko, F.

Production Year: 2001

Citation: Brown, K.; Ekoko, F. Forest Encounters: Synergy Among Agents of Forest Change in Southern Cameroon. Society and Natural Resources (2001) 14 (4) 269-290. [DOI: 10.1080/08941920120269]

Summary: This article investigates how different actors and agents of forest change interact, and whether their interactions have an enhanced impact on forest management or on livelihoods of local villagers. Studies of forest cover change indicate that multiple agents and causes may speed deforestation. We disaggregate and interrogate the conventional polarization of local villagers versus external loggers and show how multiple actors interact in a dynamic context. We investigate these issues through studies of three villages in the Humid Forest Zone of Cameroon in Central Africa. We examine different actors' strategies in the face of external and internal pressures and stimuli. Economic crisis in Cameroon has impacted on local livelihoods as well as logging strategies of timber companies, and this has led to diverse alliances, conflicts, and outcomes. Our study shows that the combined action of local actors has synergistic or enhanced impacts in three ways. First, impacts are enhanced through accelerated extensification of cultivation in forest; second, through increased access to markets; and third, through increased migration to rural areas. These synergistic impacts are brought about by a number of mechanisms, of which the opening of new roads in forest areas is most important. A number of policy measures, including the effective enforcement of the legal mechanisms, clarification of property rights, and creation of spaces or platforms for negotiation between the different actors, are necessary to ameliorate the negative synergistic impacts of their interactions.

Impact of Macroeconomic Change on Deforestation in South Cameroon: Integration of Household Survey and Remotely-Sensed Data

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:55 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Mertens, B.; Sunderlin, W.D.; Ndoye, O.; Lambin, E.F.

Production Year: 2000

Citation: Mertens, B.; Sunderlin, W.D.; Ndoye, O.; Lambin, E.F. Impact of Macroeconomic Change on Deforestation in South Cameroon: Integration of Household Survey and Remotely-Sensed Data. World Development (2000) 28 (6) 983-999. [DOI: 10.1016/S0305-750X(00)00007-3]

Summary: The integration of information from household surveys and data on land-cover changes derived from remote sensing improves our understanding of the causes and processes of land-use/land-cover changes. A household survey covering 552 households in 33 villages was carried out in the East Province of Cameroon. This survey focused on land-use changes since the 1970s. Those data were related to time series of remote sensing satellite data. A major interest of the field data lies in the longitudinal framework of the survey. It highlighted the evolution of the household and its land-use over three periods related to the key macroeconomic periods, and corresponding to the dates of acquisition of the remote sensing data. The research results demonstrate that macroeconomic changes affecting Cameroon have played a fundamental role in the way land-use practices influence the forest cover. The results show that the annual rate of deforestation increased after the economic crisis as compared to the previous period. The household survey information enables identification of the causal relationships and the processes of land-use and land-cover changes. Observations reveal that the beginning of the economic crisis (1986) is associated in time with a strong increase of the deforestation rate related to population growth, increased marketing of food crops, modification of farming systems, and colonization of new agricultural areas in remote forest zones.

A livelihood from the forest: gendered visions of social, economic and environmental change in Southern Cameroon

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:50 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Brown, K.; Lapuyade, S.

Production Year: 2001

Citation: Brown, K.; Lapuyade, S. A livelihood from the forest: gendered visions of social, economic and environmental change in Southern Cameroon. Journal of International Development (2001) 13 (8) 1131-1149. [DOI: 10.1002/jid.802]

Summary: This paper explores divergent perceptions and experiences of social, economic and environmental change of villagers in Southern Cameroon arguing that the economic crisis has impacted very differently on men and women within the same community and within households. The analysis highlights shifts in cropping patterns towards increased food crops, especially cassava and plantain, for cash. Sources of livelihood for men have diversified in the face of economic crisis, whereas women have reduced room to manoeuvre. This results in women becoming increasingly dependent on utilizing non-timber forest products for cash in order to meet their livelihood needs. However pressures on forest are increasing for a number of reasons and access to land and trees is becoming constrained, so future benefits from forest products will be contingent on clear, well defined and enforced community property rights.

Randomized, multicentre assessment of the efficacy and safety of ASAQ – a fixed-dose artesunate-amodiaquine combination therapy in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:35 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article
Creator: Ndiaye, J.-L.; Randrianarivelojosia, M.; Sagara, I.; Brasseur, P.; Ndiaye, I.; Faye, B.; Randrianasolo, L.; Ratsimbasoa, F.D.; Moor, V. A.; Traore, A.; Dicko, Y.; Dara, N.; Lameyre, V.; Diallo, M.; Djimde, A.; Same-Ekobo, A.; Gaye, O.

Production Year: 2009

Citation: Ndiaye, J.-L.; Randrianarivelojosia, M.; Sagara, I.; Brasseur, P.; Ndiaye, I.; Faye, B.; Randrianasolo, L.; Ratsimbasoa, F.D.; Moor, V. A.; Traore, A.; Dicko, Y.; Dara, N.; Lameyre, V.; Diallo, M.; Djimde, A.; Same-Ekobo, A.; Gaye, O. . Randomized, multicentre assessment of the efficacy and safety of ASAQ – a fixed-dose artesunate-amodiaquine combination therapy in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Malaria Journal (2009) 8 (1) 125. [DOI: 10.1186/1475-2875-8-125]

Summary: The use of artemisinin derivative-based combination therapy (ACT) such as artesunate plus amodiaquine is currently recommended for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Fixed-dose combinations are more adapted to patients than regimens involving multiple tablets and improve treatment compliance. A fixed-dose combination of artesunate + amodiaquine (ASAQ) was recently developed. To assess the efficacy and safety of this new combination and to define its optimum dosage regimen (once or twice daily) in the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria, a multicentre clinical study was conducted. A multicentre, randomized, controlled, investigator-blinded, parallel-group study was conducted in five African centers in Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali and Senegal from March to December 2006. Efficacy and safety of ASAQ were assessed compared to those of artemether + lumefantrine (AL). The WHO protocol with a 28-day follow-up for assessing the drug therapeutic efficacy was used. Patients suffering from uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria were randomized to receive ASAQ orally once daily (ASAQ1), ASAQ twice daily (ASAQ2) or AL twice daily (AL) for three days. The primary outcome was PCR-corrected parasitological cure rate and clinical response. Of 941 patients initially randomized and stratified into two age groups (more than 5 years, and more than or equal 5 years), 936 (99.5%) were retained for the intent to treat (ITT) analysis, and 859 (91.3%) patients for the per protocol (PP) analysis. Among ITT population, up to D28, PCR-corrected adequate parasitological and clinical response rates were 95.2% in the ASAQ1 group, 94.9% in the ASAQ2 group and 95.5% in the AL group. Moreover, the cure rate evaluated among PP population was =98.5% in both ASAQ therapeutic arms. Therapeutic response rates did not display any significant differences between age groups or between one geographical site and another. Altogether, this demonstrates the non-inferiority of ASAQ1 regimen compared to both ASAQ2 and AL regimens. During follow-up mild and moderate adverse events including gastrointestinal and/or nervous disorders were reported in 29.3% of patients, with no difference between groups in the nature, frequency or intensity of adverse events. The non-inferiority of ASAQ compared with AL was demonstrated. The fixed-dose combination artesunate + amodiaquine (ASAQ) is safe and efficacious even in young children under 5 years of age. Whilst administration on a twice-a-day basis does not improve the efficacy of ASAQ significantly, a once-a-day intake of this new combination clearly appears as an effective and safe therapy in the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria both in adults and children. Implications of such findings are of primary importance in terms of public health especially in African countries. As most national policies plan to strengthen malaria control to reach the elimination of this disease, anti-malarial drugs such as the artesunate + amodiaquine fixed-dose ACT will play a pivotal role in this process. The protocol was registered with the www.clinicaltrials.gov open clinical trial registry under the identifier number NCT00316329.

African Women and ICTs: Investigating Technology, Gender and Empowerment

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:38 GMT

Document Type: Book
Creator: Buskens, I.; Webb, A. (Editors)

Production Year: 2009

Citation: Buskens, I.; Webb, A. (Editors). African Women and ICTs: Investigating Technology, Gender and Empowerment. Zed Books, (2009) ISBN 978 1 84813 191 0 [hardback], 978 1 84813 192 7 [paperback], 978 1 55250 399 7 [online], 233 pp.

Summary: The revolution in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has vast implications for the developing world, but what tangible benefits has it brought when issues of social inclusion and exclusion, particularly in the developing world, remain at large? In addition, the gender digital divide is growing in the developing world, particularly in Africa. So what do ICTs mean to African women?

African Women and ICTs explores the ways in which women in Africa utilize ICTs to facilitate their empowerment; whether through the mobile village phone business, through internet use, or through new career and ICT employment opportunities. Based on the outcome of an extensive research project, this timely book features chapters based on original primary field research undertaken by academics and activists who have investigated situations within their own communities and countries. The discussion includes such issues as the notion of ICTs for empowerment and as agents of change, ICTs in the fight against gender-based violence, and how ICTs could be used to reconceptualize public and private spaces.

Governing Cotton Sectors. An analysis of reforms in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Mali.

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:35 GMT

Document Type: PowerPoint Presentation
Creator: Serra, R.

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Serra, R. Governing Cotton Sectors. An analysis of reforms in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Mali. (2011) 22 pp.

Summary: The presentation describes the APPP Cotton Sector Reform Project, which aims to contribute to the analysis of reform processes in African countries, overcome the limitations of the 'good governance agenda', and engage in debates on the implications of the Paris Declaration.